Archbishop Denis Hart has issued the following statement about The Roman Missal Third Typical Edition in English (Published by Catholic Truth Society, London and distributed by St Pauls, Homebush NSW).

Along with decisions already made by the Bishops’ Conferences of other English-speaking countries, the Australian Bishops have decided at their May 2011 meeting, the use of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, published by the Catholic Truth Society will be of obligation in all Churches and Chapels in Australia from the First Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2011.

From that date, no other translation of the Roman Missal is permitted in Australia.

Copies of the Missal will be available and distributed by the first week of November.

Denis J. Hart
Archbishop of Melbourne

There you have it. RIP old translation; Huzzah! for the new corrected translation.

Actually, in contrast to the rather short and sudden introduction elsewhere in the world (eg. see this from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales) the new translation has been slowly introduced in Melbourne since January 1st this year, with All Saints Day set as the day from which it will be used in its entirety. Four weeks after that: its all over red rover for the 1973 translation.

[Stop Press: I am on the train at the moment on the way home after a late night meeting. We just had to stop and reverse back to the last station because the train was mistakenly diverted along the wrong line… You have to wonder… any way, on with the story…]

Although the introduction had a fairly clear time line – sung people’s bits could be introduced from the start of the year, then the spoken responses from Pentecost, and then the priest’s parts from All Saints Day – the actual process has turned out to be a bit of a free for all with every parish doing its own thing more or less according to its own time line. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The good thing is that they ARE all introducing it (I haven’t heard of any parish holding out all together – does any reader in Melbourne know of a parish which hasn’t begun to introduce the new translation in some way or other?), and with a degree of enthusiasm (or at least curiousity) and even impatience. Because the “how” of the introduction has not been micromanaged, each parish (and each priest and musician and cantor) feels that they are in control. They are determining the “when”, not someone else from “outside” or “higher up”.

So I don’t expect there to be much problem when the “when” finally comes – as it will on the first Sunday in Advent. I just hope that the Catholic Truth Society can get their copies of the new missal to us all by then!

About Schütz

I am Catholic, married to Cathy, father of Maddy & Mia. Since 2002, I have been the Executive Officer of the Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. I was once a Lutheran pastor, but a "year of grace" and soul-searching led me into the Catholic Church. It was a bumpy ride, but with the support of my (still Lutheran) wife, I was finally confirmed on June 16, 2003.

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SCE is a blog in "the Spirit of Benny 16". It is a place to discuss Catholic Theology, Ecumenism, Interfaith relations, History, Liturgy, Philosophy and whatever topics are hot in the ecclesiastical world!

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The Schütz Model for a Elective Australian Constitutional Monarchy

I propose that
1) We replace the absentee monarch of Australia (who is also the Monarch of Great Britain) with an elected Australian monarchy.
2) The elected monarch exactly replaces the current monarch in the current constition.
3) The elected monarch has exactly the same powers, duties and responsibilities as those of the current absentee monarch. All the monarch's functions are carried out by his/her personal representatives (as is currently the case): federally by the Governor General, and in the states by the State Governors.
4) The Governor General and the Governors continue to be selected and appointed as they currently are, that is, by the premier with the approval of the monarch.
5) The monarch is elected to sovereignty over Australia for life, but his/her sovereignty is strictly non-hereditary.
6) The elective body is the "college of electors" comprised of the state governors and federal governor general.
7) The election of the monarch must be a unanimous decision on the part of the college of electors.

"The fervant Romanists have always this point in their favour: that they are ready to believe. And they have a desire for the conversion of men which is honest in exactly inverse ration to the dishonesty of the means which they employ to produce it."-- Anthony Trollope, "The Way We Live Now"

J.G. Schütz Family Arms

"The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head."-- Terry Pratchet, Hogfather, page 242

"I really don't think I'm arrogant, but I do get impatient with people who don't share with me the same humility in front of the facts."--Richard Dawkins